Employers should be prepared to 'walk the talk' to secure top talent - Robert Walters Australia

There are discrepancies between what an employer says/believes they seek in a candidate and the decisions they make when selecting candidates, according to surveys recently conducted by specialist professional recruitment consultancy Robert Walters.

A survey of almost 700 human resources representatives, conducted to form the basis of Robert Walters' new whitepaper, 'Thinking laterally to identify and secure top talent', found that 99% of employers surveyed responded they would not be prepared to hire a candidate with the right experience and qualifications, but not the right attitude. Further, 63% of employers said attitude and soft skills are the most important attribute they seek in a candidate.

However, the job-seeker experience indicates the approach may be different in practice, with 71% of candidates surveyed saying employers should place greater importance on a candidate's soft skills, and 90% saying employers should place greater importance on candidate attitude.

Robert Walters' Managing Director – Australia, James Nicholson, says that these findings show that employers need to "walk the talk" to increase their chances of finding and securing top performers.

"In 2011 many employers felt the squeeze of skill shortages in some sectors, and recognised the need to look beyond the job description. However our survey findings indicate that what an employer thinks is important, and the decisions they make when selecting candidates in practice are two different things.

"We often find that at the beginning of the recruitment process many employers believe they want a professional who will be the best fit for the business, but when it comes time to shortlist, they will still try to select the CVs that best match their skills requirement on paper, but may not be the best match in reality. If employers truly value competencies outside experience and formal qualifications, they need to actively identify and value them during the recruitment process."

The upcoming whitepaper examines how employers can increase their chances of identifying and securing top performers. It is the third in the Robert Walters Spotlight Series of whitepapers, which aims to help employers identify and address topical issues that could be affecting their recruitment process. The paper can be downloaded here.